Photos of Leeds Now Available

Click the title above to visit my flickr site. I've also begun geo-referencing the photos so that you can see where they were taken. At the photo album site click Map.

Cheers.

Leeds: Part Two

With only a few hours of daylight left I ventured back out into the streets to see what I could find. I had a very simple map that I had printed out, but chose to ignore it for the most part. Landmarks work just as well as a map when you're in a new place anyway.

Walking along the street I saw a break between two buildings and an entrance to the Leeds City Markets. I went in to discover the largest indoor market hall I have yet seen. There were several buildings full of kiosks, selling goods and services of all types: fabrics, foods, mobile phone accessories. Outside there was a large food market. I kept on south towrd BBC West Yorkshire and Quarry Hill. There was a great view of the city from atop a footbridge crossing over one of the A roads.

I found my way back to the Corn Exchange and took the Free City Bus back to The Headrow. I used what little light was remaining to scope out some potential venues to visit for the evening. I had gotten some names from that guide book at the library, but I wanted to locate as many as I could so I had some options. I was really just looking to perhaps catch some good live music and have a pint. The Leeds Metropolitan University Student Union bar typically features some good up-and-coming bands. When I got there I realised that it likely wouldn't be open, as the school break had already commenced. While I was there, however, I discovered a pub between the lanes of traffic that was built from a boat. It was aptly named, The Dry Dock.

After my Tesco Beef Curry dinner back at the hotel, I rested a bit (miles of walking tends to tire a bloke out) before heading out to find some music. It was looking quite fruitless. I wandered around until I came to a place called The Mixing Tin. There was loud live music coming from the building so I decided I'd pay £4 to get in. The club was in the basement. The atmosphere was decent. I got a pint and sat at a table watching the band on stage. Typical formulaic rock. They finished off and the next band got on. Typical formulaic rock from competent musicians. This wasn't the groundbreaking northern sound I was seeking. But, I managed to sit through their whole act, nursing my beer. I headed back to the hotel admidst all of the drunken Leodensian youths.

In the morning I packed up all of my things and headed for the train station. My train was due to arrive in Nottingham at 11:04, which should give me adequate time to get home, unload my bags, and walk to the restaurant in time for my 12:00 shift. I found out where I needed to be and headed for the platform to catch the 9:10 to Plymouth, which would get me to Derby for the 10:41 to Nottingham. As luck would have it, the Plymouth train was about ten minutes late, but that should still leave ten minutes between trains. I got on the last car, which happened to be the quiet car. I found out later that title was only suggested and not enforced. A group of loud girls got on, sat all around and proceeded to talk as loud as they could about the most inane drivel. I got the impression they were still celebrating from the night before. Luckily they were forced out of their seats at Wakefield as the seat next to me had been reserved by a nice little old lady. Of course she talked a lot too, but it was a little more interesting than what I was hearing before. She spoke of how the trains used to be, and about her destination of Torquay, where her son lives. We exchanged chatter until I alighted at Derby, just in time to catch my transfer, which was itself a few minutes late.

I managed to get back to still foggy Nottingham at about 11:15, grabbed a cab and headed for home. I still managed to get to work on time. The shift turned out to be pretty laid back, as the dining-out crowds were dwindling in the days leading up to Christmas. This was the home stretch.

So Leeds was a definite thumbs up. Despite missing out on the Full English and a proper live show, I'd go back in second if given the chance. Of course, there are other cities to see as well.

Cheers.

Leeds: Part One

When we last saw our humble narrator, he was readying himself for Leeds

I hopped on the train to Liverpool, somewhat confused. I hadn't really ridden on a proper train before so I was unsure as to how it worked. I managed to get on the right train. Now I just had to pay attention so I didn't miss my transfer at Sheffield. The conductor came by to take tickets. The teenager beside me had his music on loud with this face buried in a book. I had to nudge him to alert him to the conductor. He pulled a wrinkled ticket from his pocket and told him it had been through the wash. The conductor examined it and decided that it had been used before and the stamp was in the ripped part. He made him buy a new ticket but the kid was insistent that it hadn't been used. The conductor gave him an embarassingly loud lecture about fraud. The kid made a call to his dad shortly after telling of this and I actually think he had been telling the truth. He really didn't seem too put off by it though.

By the time we got to Chesterfield - whose cathedral has a twisted spire - the fog that was blanketting the entire south of England, causing mass cancellation at Heathrow, was beginning to lift. By Sheffield there was a clear blue sky. Looks like I picked the right direction. I was in Sheffield Station for ten minutes or so before jumping onto a Northern Rail train to Leeds. I arrived there at around 4:00pm. Of course the sun was nearly set by the time I arrived.

I had every intention of catching a bus to the hotel but after having much trouble in finding which bus and stop to use, I just decided to walk. It turned out to only be about fifteen minutes away. The hotel room was as good or better than it was described. It was basically a studio apartment. There was a fridge, stovetop, microwave, utensils, dishes, dishwasher, rotating TV, leather sofa and chair, the most powerful shower on the planet and even cheap art on the walls and shelves. The view was a parking lot and houses atop a steep bank. I couldn't believe what I was getting for the small amount I paid.

Having brought a couple of frozen dinners from home to save some cash, I cooked myself a nice Tesco Cottage Pie and watched some telly before heading out to do a quick survey of the city. I popped into a couple shops, half caught my bearings and then headed home to get some sleep for an early start the next day.

I woke up and had some of the complimentary instant coffee, some yogurt and an orange, The news on TV was all about the Heathrow situation. Outside in Leeds there was a very light haze, which later lifted to reveal another clear, sunny day.

The City of Leeds is quite a looker. There is a great mix of old and new architecture, good planning and nicely restored buildings reclaimed for new uses. As I passed by the Council House, snapping pictures, a woman who was also taking photos looked bewilderedly at two banners hanging from the columns of the buidling that said "privelege wish you a merry xmas." She asked me, in what was obviously an American accent, "What is that supposed to mean?" I replied that I didn't know, but it doesn't come across very well. She agreed. I found out later that Privelege is an insurance company. I also found out that the woman was from Texas. A Texan in Leeds in December? I didn't bother asking why.

I stopped into the library on the Headrow, which turned out to have an amazing interior, complete with playful gargoyles all over. While there I flipped through a city guide to see what my options were for eating places and venues. I jotted a few down. I visited the Henry Moore Insitute down the street to view a small Bauhaus photography exhibit.

Then it was really just aimless wandering. I ventured south of the station into another bustling area. My choice for lunch was a basement pub called Aire, named after the river that runs through the city. Despite its subterranean location, it had a back patio that let in light. It had a great atmosphere. I proceeded to the bar to order a Full English, my first since landing on this island. Unfortunately I was a tick or two too early so I decided to go and come back. In the meantime I discovered a place called The Corn Exchange, a large oval shaped building that has been restored as a market. I entered from the street which is the upper level. There are shops all around the inside perimeter on three levels. In the centre on the bottom floor, there are a few cafe counters and table & chairs set up. The massive dome abstractly looked a bit like a cob of corn with two large openings for windows.

I returned to Aire to find that a private function there would mean a half hour wait for food. I decided the Full English would have to wait for another time and headed out for another English institution, fish & chips. I stopped in at Oliver Jake's Fish and Chip Restaurant. It was very much like a large small town diner on the Prairies in some ways. The haddock, chips and mushy peas arrived very quickly. About halfway through the meal, the sound of Silent Night faded in as the music on the PA was suddenly halted. The choir from the Leeds Parish Church had entered the restaurant, paraded down the centre aisle to the back door, right behind me as I enjoyed my meal. It was akwardly beautiful. The choir had the full range, from castrati-esque sopranos to low bass. I dropped a few pence into their little bucket.

End of Part One.

Hit The North!

It's great to exercise the power of the favour.

Last Friday, 15 December, was and is traditionally the busiest day of the year at the restaurant, as it is the last Friday before the Christmas weekend. Everybody wants to have their Christmas dinner parties on that day. I was pleased last week when the work schedule came out and I was only booked to work until 6:00pm. Added to that joy was a whole Saturday off the following day. Of course the lunch shift turned out to be insanely busy as well, but I was comforted by the idea that I would be heading home before the second rush came. I had planned on checking out Belle & Sebastian at a local club in town with my housmate and his girlfriend. B & S were doing a DJ set, which I was keen to check out as I did not know they did that sort of thing.

As luck would have it, neighbour/junior sous chef Tom pulled me aside around 4:30 with a favour to ask. I knew right away what it was, and so I was on the spot. Stay for the double shift and make a little extra cash, or go home at 6:00 and leave them understaffed for the night. I sent a quick message to housmate Jason to find out what the plan was. As it turned out they were probably going to that venue, but not really wanting to pay the £8 to see the band. So I decided I would stay on at work on two conditions. The first was that I could finish when service finished, meaning no clean-up. The second condition was that I get two consecutive days off the following week (which is now the current week). It was agreed.

So now I finally have time to go somewhere rather distant for a time. I decided that Leeds was the place. People have told me that I should check out Leeds, so now I will. I plan to catch the train from Nottingham station this afternoon and return Friday morning in time for my noon start at work.

Unfortunately Leeds doesn't seem to have much for hostels but I did stumble upon a place called Roomzzz, an apartment-style hotel. And it was cheaper than any other hotel I found. It's basically a small apartment with a kitchenette, LCD tv, memory foam mattress bed, etc. for £35 a night. I can save some cash by bringing some food and having a few meals "at home."

So Wednesday to Friday will be my first mini-holiday, and my first trip out of the Derbyshire-Notts area into West Yorkshire - the North, where the accents will be a little thicker.

In January, as I mentioned I will be heading to Wroclaw, Poland for five days. I couldn't resist a discount flight. I fly from East Midlands Airport direct to Wroclaw. I'll likely spend a few days there and a couple in Krakow, with a side trip to Auschwitz along the way. It will be nice to see snow and experience what negative double digit temperatures feel like once again.

See you on the other side of Leeds.

Cheers.

Y'alright Duck?

Translation: How are you fellow Nottingham resident?

I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to take the tram to the end of the line: Hucknall. Why not? The weather was reasonably and apparently unseasonably mild.

While waiting for the bus "into town" (i.e. downtown) some youths were strolling down the street gleefully singing a made-up song with one word, "ASBO." This was an unsettling scene. The youth in this country seem to have much power over their adult counterparts. ASBOs (Antisocial Behaviour Orders) have come under fire recently because youths who receive them tend to wear them like a trophy, as was the case with these fine gentlemen I witnessed in the street. It amazes me how bullying, though something that the establishment is fiercely trying to reduce, seems to shape this culture so much. And I certainly wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to begin to understand how that could be changed. They seem to think television ads will help.

Once in town, I caught the northbound tram. The tram is an electric three-car light rail train that operates much like a subway train with stops at set platforms. Once out of the dense city area, the tram picks up speed and moves just like a regular train. Nottingham City Council has been working at developing the rapid transit system in the city for several years now, and they are now moving into phase two. The current tram line, which links the Nottingham Station just north of the River Trent to Hucknall, north of Nottingham, is just one of three lines that will eventually be installed.

Hucknall is a nice town. It's good to get out of the city even if just for an afternoon. I strolled down the High Street and noticed a lot of reference to Byron: the Byron Cinema and Bingo, statue of Lord Byron, etc. I passed by a car park (parking lot) that had midway rides set up, abandoned at the moment. Next to it sat a quaint stone church, St. Mary Magdalene. I do like exploring churchyards, if nothing else to see the dates on the gravestones. This cemetary was quite well designed and planted. While there I came upon a little paved spot with a bench and a stone book that said "Byron," with a Byron quote on the other "page." I couldn't tell if it was an actual grave. Conveniently there was a library next to the churchyard, so I popped in to google it. Sure enough, Lord Byron himself, along with his wife, and his famous daughter Ada Lovelace are entombed in the church. So, without even knowing beforehand, I accidentally stumbled upon the grave of a famous poet. Imagine that.

I stopped in a candy shop back on the High Street and got a bag of various flavoured drops: rhubarb custard, coffee and cream, strawberry, pear. The scale and density of the street, and I suppose the weather at that moment, reminded me a lot of Toronto.

On Friday I went back to Findern for the first time since I've moved to Nottingham. The Holmeses and I went to John Thompson's pub in Ingleby for lunch, something which we had planned to do before, but which circumstance had disallowed. The John Thompson Inn and Brewery is a converted 15th Century farmhouse, which has been added to over the years. It sits overlooking the Trent valley. A separate outbuilding in the car park serves as the brewhouse, complete with a professional brewmaster. I had the privelege of meeting Mr. Thompson himself. The John Thompson is the place to be for lunch on a Friday. The lunch consists of fresh shaved beef, two varieties of roast potatoes, a Yorkshire pudding, leeks and peas. We finished it off with desserts. I had the rhubarb ginger crumble, something I make at work all the time, but that I had previously never eaten. After the meal I pulled the old "go to the bathroom and pay the bill on the way back before they notice" trick. It was least I could do for them for letting me stay with them for two weeks. They were grateful but constantly reminded me of how naughty it was of me to do that.

We explored the countryside a bit more after that. They wanted to show me Foremarke Hall, a prep school on a large acreage. We couldn't drive up to it so we came around to the church and walked in through the gate. The church was quite amazing. It's very odd seeing a 17th Century solid stone church in a field in the middle of nowhere. The school's bursar was walking his dogs on the other side of the fence. After chatting a bit, and making peace, he let us through and walked us right up to the school. The palladian building is like a smaller version of some of the larger mansions around this area. Tuition at this place is something like £12,000 a year. The bursar was very friendly and invited us to come back next week for a tour of the building when the kids are off on Christmas holidays. If time allows I may just take him up on that. In conversation he asked if I knew of Suffield, Alberta. He was apparently meant to be stationed there in his army days but plans had changed.

So these little escapes from the kitchen are helping me to maintain my sanity through the busy holiday season. Next up perhaps Lincoln, Newark, Leeds, or any other locales in the shire or beyond. Next month there will be a trip to Poland. More on that later.

Cheers.